Chlamydia is the most common communicable disease in Summit County.

“There is a lot of sex going on out there People think that kids aren’t having sex, well they are,” said Carolyn Rose, nursing director for the Summit County Health Department. “Chlamydia rates are really high and you have to have sex to get it.”

There were 56 cases of Chlamydia reported in Summit County in 2009.

“It’s a lot,” Rose said. “I think any is too many.”

Last year, chicken pox was No. 2 on the list, she said.

The age group with the most cases of Chlamydia is 15 to 29 years old, Rose said.

“People need to talk to their children about ways to prevent these sexually transmitted diseases, because they are still here,” Rose said. “If they’ve got Chlamydia, it means they are having unprotected sex.”

The number of Chlamydia cases in Summit County in recent years has steadily increased, she said.

“Sometimes there are never any symptoms. People don’t know that they have it,” Rose said. “It can cause problems with getting pregnant, maintaining a pregnancy and there are problems with delivery of the baby as far as the baby getting Chlamydia.”

Those who have had unprotected sex should be tested for Chlamydia, she stressed.

“You walk around with it and you don’t really know that you’ve got it. You’ll just keep spreading it,” Rose said.

Untreated Chlamydia has caused women to become infertile, she said.

And the bacterial infection has led to sterility in men, Rose added.

“The biggest thing that will probably shock people is the age of which this occurs,” Rose said. “It can lead to some nasty stuff.”

Instructors only emphasize abstinence when teaching sex education in Utah schools, she said.

“They cannot talk about condoms,” Rose said. “Parents need to be the ones who educate their children on what they can do to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.”

Two years ago the number of Chlamydia cases reported in Utah increased 6 percent, according to the Utah Department of Health.

The disease is found more commonly in women, Rose said.

“More women go to the doctor than men for annual exams,” she said.

The treatment for Chlamydia is simple, Rose said.

“It’s one pill. It’s very easily treated,” she said.

Two other communicable diseases that topped the charts in 2009 included gonorrhea, another sexually transmitted disease, and influenza which led to hospital visits, she said.

“Talking about sex to your kids is important,” Rose said. “It is out there and obviously, you don’t want your child to get Chlamydia.”